Outcome of TM

This section examines the outcome of the talent management for the organisation from the management’s, line managers’ and employees’ perspectives. The interview data show that the organisation has used different strategies and tools in order to attract and retain a talented workforce. Despite tough competition and dynamic market conditions, managers believe that a good reputation, in terms of investing in human capital, a clear progression path and attractive salaries help the organisation to attract and retain a talented workforce. This can be observed from the quotes below:

“…people like to come and work in [BA] because of the environment and number of years being in business and good bank, the total number of people today in [BA] three thousand and plus. So, people believe this the good organization for develop our career” (Strategic Director, BA)

TM Effectivness Employees

'Expectations

Competition People's

Religion/Perception

Government Regulation

“… for example, we have (a) branch manager programme which gets 250 local people in the bank in the branches, we have (a) head-office programme which gets 100 or 150 local employees… so when people see value on doing these kind of programmes, so the results are very successful…” (TM advisor 1, BA)

In the above quotes, the management group feels that the tools that have been established in BA have a positive impact, especially on the employees. This is confirmed also by the talented employees, who indicates that the main reason for joining this organisation is the development opportunities: “basically the development opportunities and I want to be challenged and I said this is the right place that basically I got opportunities in the ministries but I prefer the private sector” (TE1, BA). This quote shows that talented employees like to have challenging tasks, as well as development opportunities, and they believe that government organisations do not provide these types of task. This suggests that the way of life in government organisations is focused on having a job for life and on financial security. This implication is also supported by another talented employee who feels that the organisation is the right place in which to have her careet groomed and developed: “[BA] has given me a lot in terms of development and career path; so I do not think there will (be a) better place in the market than BA in terms of taking care of our career...” (TE3, BA).

All participants in this study indicate that the organisation has worked hard to introduce appealing tools that help to attract new talents and retain existing ones, especially considering the tough competition facing the banking sector in the country. The management group reports that BA has achieved positive results by introducing these tools. For instance, the interview data show that the TM has a positive impact on the organisation’s performance, specifically on employee commitment. From the organisation’s perspective, the managers who were interviewed for this study highlight that the TM has produced numerous leaders who handle the bank’s business at home and abroad as the bank has international branches across the globe. Additionally, the managers state that TM has helped the organisation to meet government targets with 93% of managerial positions now occupied by Omanis. This can be understood from the examples below:

“… we have (a) number of people now, they have taken their positions, high positions as young Omanis, not only here in bank in Oman but in our banks in somewhere in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai, Omanis leading there, Omanis leading there, Omanis became chief executive officer of the bank which is heading the branches there…” (Strategic Director, BA)

“… because of the different development programmes… offers by the bank, we were able to achieve 93% of Omanisation requirement in different top and middle managerial positions… so actually we are 93%, so this is for the last six, seven years… so it is very successful…” (TM advisor 2, BA)

Furthermore, the Learning and Development advisor in BA highlights that the TM has altered the way in which selection and promotion for critical positions is implemented. He indicates that the past criteria were subjective but that selection and promotion are now conducted in a more structured and scientific way. Thus, the managers appear to feel that TM is about a change in performance culture.

This can be understood from the example below:

“…in the past …the selection of the branch manager was based on subjectivity based on their performance, seniority and so on. We came up with assessment centre programme for branch manager which is for all candidates who have completed a certain number of years of services and proper education … put them through the assessment centre. The best candidates will be selected to become branch managers…Majority of the cases, the branch managers were selected through this process are very, very successful, they came up with changes in the branch which turn around in terms of the branch’s performance…the talent management process in this case has been proved by adding value to the business” (Learning and Development advisor, BA)

The Learning and Development advisor above states that there have been improvements in branch managers’ performance and that TM has created competition among employees. He illustrates this by giving the example of current branch managers who are performing very well because they know that there are people in the development centre who are ready to take their positions if their performance declines. Thus, the managers appear to feel that TM and its criteria for selecting a candidate could change the perception of people within the organisation who used to believe that selection for promotion was based on subjectivity (wasta) rather than objectivity criteria. The managers also believe that this might produce a competent local workforce who can run the organisation for the long term. Furthermore, the line managers report that commitment and loyalty

have also improved: “…it is not commitment only but loyalty has improved…”

(LM2, BA).

The four talented employees who took part in this study also express their gratitude at having a range of development opportunities and at being in the talent pool. This has increased their commitment levels because they believe that the organisation has invested in them. When asked whether they would have any intention of leaving the organisation in the event of them receiving good job opportunities from other organisations, the four talented employees answered: “I have built loyalty”, “I am happy”, “I always been loyal you know to the organisation” and “I am attached to [BA]”. These positive responses from the four staff members suggest that TM has had a positive impact on employee commitment.

This might be deduced from the following story:

“I have built some loyalty to this organisation because they developed me and because they invested heavily in me , I do not think that other organisations will put any more as much efforts like this organisation and I can see development… the moment that I see that development stops I will leave” (TE1, BA)

The data show that the TM is considered an important retention tool for talented employees in the organisation. The participants’ experiences of TM give a good indication that TM in the organisation has played a positive role in developing and retaining employees. All staff members who took part in this study within BA, from both the management and the employees’ groups, interpret the outcome of TM in BA in three main areas: a decline in employee turnover, an increase in the level of commitment and an increase in the number of Omanis holding critical positions in the organisation. However, a wider study across a larger number of staff would be needed to assess this positive impact of TM. Also, the participants who have been selected for this study might feel under pressure not to reveal their true feelings. The managers might also want to give a good account of their TM programmes because they were the ones who designed and developed these programmes.

5.8 Summary

Several main themes emerged from this case-study. Firstly, the meanings of talent and TM are driven by institutional pressures. This suggests that in BA the word ‘talent’ means “Omani High Potential”. The findings suggest that the external factors (e.g. government regulations) and the organisation’s needs have influenced how talent and TM are defined. This finding suggests that the meaning of talent and TM may change over time is based on these institutional factors.

Secondly, the participants appear to feel institutional pressures play a role in shaping the TM in BA, as shown in Figure 5.6. These influences have caused the organisation to create a two-tiered TM system for two different groups, “talented”

and “less-talented” employees, using different assessment criteria, as shown in Figure 5.6, which suggests that the differentiated TM architecture approach is implemented. Thirdly, the interview data show that this organisation conceptualises TM as a process of identifying and developing the right talent in order to run the oragnisation in the future. The data also show that TM is regarded as the main supportive tool for the organisation’s succession plan. Therefore, the participants believe that the design of TM is built around the organisation’s context.

Fourthly, the data indicates that the design of TM involves different roles played by different constituents. All the staff members note that top management plays an important role in TM by supporting and approving the budget for TM programmes. While, the managers believe that the line managers and employees exercise the main influence in the implementation of the TM. HR and TM units act as facilitators among these groups. The participants indicated that TM is not the responsibility of HR and top management alone but that of the organisation as whole.

The fifth theme that emerges concerns the factors involved in a successful TM.

In this case, the data shows that the involvement of different constituents, good communications across the organisation, and a structured and transparent approach are the main factors in the success of the TM in BA. At the same time, the participants report that the main driver of the successful TM is supportive management, which suggests the importance role that played by top

management in running this kind of programme. However, there are some challenges that may limit the effectiveness of this system, as indicated in Figure 5.6. The main issue faced by many organisations, as the data revealed, is employee expectations and their perception that TM will elevate them to “critical positions” when sometimes it is not necessary to be talented to be allocated a critical position.

Lastly, from the data collected it is believed that the TM in this organisation has achieved positive results in terms of its performance as well as employee commitment. The participants feel that the organisation has followed a very sophisticated approach in investing in talent management. However, there are indications of the importance of development opportunities and career paths to the talented employees, who link their commitment to the organisation with their development and career paths. This might suggest the importance of TM as a development and retention tool for the best employees.

Figure 5.6: The TM in BA